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Hello Friends,

Pat Condell discusses in his latest video a subject I've been raising ever since I started this thread. The Israeli/Palestinian issue has nothing to do about land or territory in exchange for peace.

If any of you've noticed the PA in it's bid for statehood at the UN gave maps of the so called PA state and lo and behold it encompasses all of Israel. For those of you who don't understand the implications of that I sure do pity you.

Over the many years of peace talks Israel's made concession after concession to an entity that never existed historically but in order to insure peace for future generations agreed to a two state solution and worked to achieve that goal. Peace in our area. But the Arabs aren't interested in peace and never were else with all the concessions we should have had peace here years ago. The problem is that they don't want peace but the total destruction and eradication of Israel from the map of the world. The Hamas and PLO charters state this "simple desire" of these so called "Palestinians".

In conclusion it's not land for peace but killing all the Jews as they must do if they obey their koran and the big mo. Now the proposed PA map might make more sense to those that didn't get it before.

Shalom,

Peter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1N1zhUm84w&feature=player_embedded

Yom Kippur: Israel Stops and Reflects

Yom Kippur

www.TempleInstitute.org

The highest of the High Holidays – Yom Kippur – is to begin on Friday night, and Jews around the world are completing their last preparations for the solemn day that ends the Ten Days of Penitence.

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a Divinely-designated day that the Torah explains “will atone for you [plural] to purify you from all your sins before G-d.” Such atonement, however, must generally be accompanied by teshuvah, a process that must include introspection, admission of sins, remorse, and a commitment not to repeat them.

One must also appease and ask forgiveness from those he has harmed or insulted over the year.

Many people visit the graves of their parents on the days before Yom Kippur, in preparation for the Yizkor service memorializing lost parents which is said during the fast.

The prayers for Yom Kippur, which begin with the Kol Nidre prayer said at night, then take up most of the day, are replete with the various concepts of teshuvah, as well as acknowledgement of G-d’s goodness in affording mortals this opportunity to exonerate and improve themselves. One of the dramatic prayers is a review of the High Priest's preparations and one time yearly entering the Holy of Holies in the Temple, during which the each member of the congregation prostrates himself before G-d. There is also a piyyut, liturgical poem, recalling the ten martyrs killed by the Romans, one of whom was Rabbi Akiva.

The fast begins just before sundown on Friday night, and ends some 25 hours later, after the special Ne’ilah (locking, signifying that the gates of heaven are to be locked at the end of the fast) prayer, said standing. At the prayer's end, the Shma Yisrael - Hear O Israel the Lord our G-d, the Lord is One - is recited aloud by the entire congregation, followed by another two verses, including sevenfold loud repetition of the words "G-d is the Lord".

The end of the fast is signalled by a dramatic, lone shofar-blast and the immediate singing of "Next year in rebuilt Jerusalem". In many Israeli synagogues, this is a signal for joyous dancing as the fast's end signals a lightening of spirits.

In addition to eating and drinking, also forbidden on this day are wearing leather shoes, washing up, make-up and perfumes, and marital relations.

The prohibitions notwithstanding, the day is considered a festive day, in that we celebrate G-d’s beneficence in going against natural law and allowing us to revoke and nullify our misdeeds. It is also a “day of friendship and love," according to the prayer liturgy.

The day before Yom Kippur, the 9^th of the Jewish month of Tishrei, is also considered a special day, and we are required to eat and drink even more than we normally do. "Whoever eats and drinks on the 9th,” the Talmud states enigmatically, “is as [meritorious as] if he had fasted on both the 9th and the 10th." The custom of kaparot is done on the 9th.

The State of Israel is essentially closed down on Yom Kippur, with no public transportation or electronic broadcasts, and practically no open stores or services. Bicycling on main roads and city streets has become a popular pastime on the holy day, to the dismay of many, as there is no traffic to be seen, but the Tel Aviv municipality has decided to close the rental facilities over the fast.

Even more prevalent on this day are prayer services. Organizations make arrangements for secular-friendly prayer services around the country, which have become extremely popular and well-attended in recent years.

Israelis who are old enough to remember Yom Kippur 1973, recall how people were shocked to see cars driving down the streets in the early afternoon. They were rounding up soldiers as the Yom Kippur War had broken out during the day - almost all of the soldiers, religious and secular, were at their local synagogues and army cars went from synagogue to synagogue with lists, while sirens wailed shortly afterwards in Jerusalem and worshipers raced to shelters,

Memorial services for the war's fallen soldiers will be held on Sunday.

For more information on Yom Kippur, click here.

May we and all Israel be inscribed for a happy, healthy and blessed new year.

Parts of this article were written by Arutz Sheva's veteran former staff member Hillel Fendel.

Israel Prepares to Welcome Sukkot

On this holiday, Jews build, eat, relax and many even sleep in temporary booth-type structures, sukkot, reminding them of their desert dwellings and of the Clouds of Glory that protected them during that time.

Beginning at sundown, Sukkot is one of the three major festivals (shlosha regalim) of the Jewish calendar in which the Jewish People were enjoined to "go up to Jerusalem." It is called the 'festival of rejoicing', and the entire Hallel prayer is said each day of the holiday.

"Sukkot", says Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks, "is a complex set of variations on the theme of life, It is a festival of a people who have known more starkly than any other that the canopy of faith is the only shelter we have". For the Rabbi's full message and video, click here.

While the holiday lasts for seven days in Israel, only the first day is regarded as a Sabbath-like "Holy Day" on which most Sabbath restrictions, except for preparing food for that day, apply.

The second through seventh days are known as “Chol HaMoed," literally meaning a combination of holiday (moed) and weekday (chol).

On these days, most ordinary activities are permitted. In Israel, it is customary to see mass outings of families and friends throughout the country as domestic tourism floods a myriad of sites throughout Israel. For observant Jews, Chol HaMoed Sukkot and Passover are the only days besides Yom Hatzmaut where everyone is on vacation and driving a car is allowed, so they take full advantage of it.

Outside Israel, Sukkot begins with a two-day Sabbath-like holiday, with the third through seventh days serving as Chol HaMoed.

Sukkot is followed by the holiday of Shmini Atzeret - the Assembly of the Eighth Day - which is considered a separate holiday on which Yomtov restrictions apply and on which the solemn prayer for rain is said.

In the Diaspora, Shmini Atzeret, on which Yizkor is said, is followed by Simchat Torah, the celebration of Torah, during which communities feast, dance with the Torah scrolls, and celebrate the annual conclusion of the Torah-reading cycle.

In Israel, Simchat Torah is observed on Shmini Atzeret, making for a long and festive day in the synagogue, with the prayer for rain and Yizkor, but hours of dancing with the Torahs, the calling up of every man present to say the blessings on the Torah by having multiple readings, having a special prayer for the younger children under a prayer shawl held as a canopy over their heads, and more, in addition to the regular holiday prayers.

Sukkot: 'Clouds of Glory'

In the days running up to Sukkot, Jewish communities are filled with the sounds of hammers and saws, and the labor of those constructing the booths. Sukkot is called 'The Feast of Tabernacles" in English, referring to the temporary booth of the Holy Ark during the desert sojourn.

For basic information on building a kosher sukkah, click here.

On the nights of Chol Hamoed, “Water-Drawing Celebrations,” called Simchat Beit HaShoeva (Celebration of the House of Water-Drawing), are held to commemorate the ceremonies and celebrations that took place at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in preparation for drawing water for use during the festival services.

These celebrations, held in Jewish communities around the world, are a highlight in Hassidic communities and Israeli yeshivas, where the students return from vacation for the night on which their yeshiva celebrates, often featuring all-night music and singing by live bands.

Lulav and Etrog: Unity of the Jewish People

One of the most important customs of Sukkot is the recitation of the blessings over the Four Species: an etrog (citron), a lulav (palm frond), three sprigs of hadassim (myrtle) and two branches of aravot (red willow). These have to meet halakhic specifications, so it is recommended to purchase them from a reliable source or buy a ready made set with rabbinic certification.

The lulav and etrog are blessed each morning - women and children usually do this at home while men wait for morning synagogue services, the lulav held in the right hand and the etrog in the left with the stem end (oketz) facing upward until the blessing is said, after which the etrog is turned so that the tip (pitom) faces upward.

The Four Species are waved in six directions: east, west, north, south, up and down during the Hallel prayer and then carried in a march around the synagogue for the Hoshana ("Save us") prayer each morning of the holiday excepting the Sabbath.

To preserve your Four Species for the week, keep the etrog in a box. One can put the lulav in a vase with water, but the most important thing is to separate the hadassim and aravot from the palm frond and put them, along with the kusheklach (woven basketry holder) in a damp, not dripping towel. Cover with the towel and wrap the towel in aluminum foil. Fold foil over, crimp the edges to make it airtight and put in the refrigerator, removing it to set up the lulav set for prayers.

For explanations of the deeper meaning of the Four Species in Arutz Sheva's Judaism section, click here and here.

The lulav is only considered kosher if all four species are taken together – if one is missing, the entire lulav is invalid. From this, we learn that all Jews must work together and remain united, as one People, regardless of our differences.

Yoni Kepinski and Chana Yaar contributed to this report.